Archive for the ‘Housekeeping’ Category

I am closing this blog. I no longer have free time to post on theology and psychoanalysis. Graduate school has taken over all my free time as I am currently working on my dissertation and multiple journal articles and book reviews. I apologize for the untimely closing because I had hoped to complete the Modern Theology Project of 2011. Unfortunately, my heart is no longer in theology, and I need to get busy publishing to improve my chances of landing an academic job in clinical psychology/psychoanalysis. I appreciate all those who have read over the years and feel free to comment on posts and other things that interest you. I will continue to try and respond to comments. If you want to continue reading my posts check me out at AUFS where I will post occasionally when the Spirit leads me.

Friends of this blog should be aware that our modern theology project is going strong. Unfortunately, Wes has elected to discontinue the project because he’s lame and married and has a life, etc. Anyway, Kait Dugan has graciously accepted an invitation to replace Wes and become a contributor of this blog. She’ll jump on board sometime this summer and work with us through the rest of 2011. She has her own blog here. Also, I assume my readers regularly check AUFS and should have seen my recent post here. I believe that post is perhaps the most satisfying of my blogging career because I got the great Tom Altizer to say it was “splendid”.

I wanted to keep my readers aware of some changes going on at this blog. I’ve been graciously invited by the guys at AUFS to become a regular blogger over there. We’ve decided that I will make posts over at AUFS on a regular basis, but I will continue posting about the reading projects including book reviews at my blog. Along with these project related posts, I’ll also use this blog for personal updates.

I wanted to make one last pitch for a theology class I’m teaching at First Pres in Arlington, VA. The class will begin meeting on March 20th from 9:45-10:45. Eventually we’ll move to Sunday evenings after we gather a steady base. This will be my second time teaching through this text. I’ll obviously be drawing on more current theological movements as well. Here’s the blurb I’ve written up:

The 20th century has to be one of the most exciting centuries in the history of Christian theology. This theology small group will cover major theological topics including: revelation, Christology, atonement, theodicy, political theology, eschatology, feminism, secularism, and postmodernism. The group will be reading through 20th Century Theology by Grenz and Olson. Some reading will be required to help stimulate discussion. Those without a formal theological background are encouraged to come and learn the important doctrines and theologians of Christian history. The goal is to foster conversation about important theological topics and to learn how theology can inform the way we view our world.

1) I’ll be rejoining a Lacan study group at the Washington School of Psychiatry starting on February 9th. We’ll be reading Lacan and Freud, and the group we’ll meet every other Wednesday. Contact me if you’re interested in joining. The cost for students is $15/session.

2) At my local church in Arlington, I’ll begin teaching a theology class starting in March on Sunday mornings at 9:45. I think I’ll begin teaching a class on a theology of Holy Saturday. After that I’m hoping the class picks up some steam as we begin to wade through Grenz’s 20th Century Theology. I’m fairly open to teaching whatever, everything from postmodern theology to the church fathers. The Grenz book will be a way to open up the range of possibilities of different theologies the class could explore further. Eventually I’d like to spend some time that would align with my other supplemental projects: atonement (Feb-Apr), theodicy (May-July), liberation theology (Aug-Dec). I’ve thought about teaching Kotsko’s Politics of Redemption because it’s on my reading list (and Catholic U just got it in), and it integrates a variety of themes I’d like to cover: patristics, atonement, liberation theology, etc. I’ll keep readers updated. Also, I’d invite any lurkers from the DC area to join me.

So I finally completed Barth’s Church Dogmatics tonight at 3:04 a.m. Praise God Almighty. My eyes were about to fall off straining to read all the small print.

Anyway, I should be more active over the next couple of weeks posting some reflections on CD along with some other books. I’m also planning on reading 3 books over the next week on feminist theology, which should be fun.

Also, the projects of 2011 are beginning next week. Wesley, AJ, and I have decided to centralize the discussion at my blog. Every week one of us will post some short reflections on the reading, hopefully on Saturdays or Sundays. We plan to keep the rotation going all year. Also, I’ll be periodically posting on my other reading projects throughout 2011.

I regret that this last semester I did not post as much as I had intended. I didn’t realize how much time I would spend doing clinic work along with schoolwork and a part-time job.

Looking back at my reading goals for 2010, I’m proud to say that I’ve accomplished 1, 2, and 4. Working through all of Lacan’s English seminars was quite a task along with Deleuze’s work. Also, needless to say, reading CD seemed almost impossible at the beginning of 2010. As I look forward to 2011, I know I have on my reading list 3, 7, & 9.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great New Year’s and stay tuned as I plan on posting more in the upcoming days.

My good friend Wes Hargrove and I are having an interesting discussion over at his blog on McLaren’s latest book and on the resurrection. Also, readers of this blog will be glad to know that Wes has decided to join me and AJ in our main reading project for 2011. Of course, I encourage all to join.

Side note: The new Kanye album is damn good. I know I don’t speak much about music on my blog, but I’m a huge fan of hip-hop. I think his latest might be as good as his freshmen release The College Dropout. This latest album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy has to be my favorite hip hop album relased since Nas’ latest self-titled album. On Kanye’s latest, I especially recommend So Appalled (w/ RZA and Jay-Z), Devil in a New Dress (w/ Rick Ross), and the Blame Game (w/ John Legend).

First off, I want to apologize for being all but absent over the past two months. I’m planning on posting some reflections on CD IV/1 and CD IV/2 (which I just completed this weekend). Full-time graduate school plus clinical work plus a part-time job plus theological reading projects do not allow me as much free time as I’d like to blog. Also, I’ve gone back to church (PC USA) for the first time in two years, and I anticipate I’ll begin leading some group or teaching a class on modern theology. So stay tuned for updates on that.

Anyway, I’m beginning my feminist theology project. I was supposed to begin earlier, but I delayed the project so I could read Carter’s Race, which really lived up to the hype. I’m not very pious or spiritual, but it’s the first theology book that brought me to tears in quite some time (specifically his commentary on Gregory of Nyssa).

Also, in 2011 I will be embarking on a major theological project much like the Church Dogmatics project I began in 2010 (update, I just began CD IV/3.1). The project is an attempt to cover major theological (mostly Protestant) schools of the 19th and 20th century. The project will begin with reading major works of liberal theology (major highlight ought to be reading Schleiermacher’s The Christian Faith). Next, I will go back to Kierkegaard and read major works by Neo-Orthodox theologians (Gogarten should be interesting). The third major section will cover works by Neo-Barthians (excited to finally read Panneberg’s ST and Jungel), and I will complete the project by reading a couple of works by post-liberal theologians. I’m only reading books I haven’t read before, which would explain any obvious omissions from the list. AJ Smith has also decided to jump on ship and work through this major project with me. I’m sure we’ll be posting back and forth throughout the year as time permits. I’ve listed the date after each work to indicate when said work will be completed. I encourage anyone interested to read along. Unfortunately, the reading list is non-negotiable, but I suspect there will be something on the list that everyone will be interested in reading.

Much like the CD project, the pace will be around 150-175 pages per week. I will be completing my project on feminist theology as I begin the larger project of 2011 through modern theology. My next side project after the work on feminist theology will be on Christology and atonement. Given that my larger project is almost completely a study of white males, I’m trying to have my side projects be more focused on theologies from the margins.

Finally, I’m embarrassed to admit not having given proper attention to Latin American liberation theology so far in my theological education. Hence, my final side project will be focused primarily on Latin American liberation theology. I’m also reading some works by Asian liberation theologians and finishing up the study with Eiesland’s the Disable God.

I’m taking a break from Barth for a week before I begin CD IV. Also beginning that week I’m beginning my journey through queer and feminist theology. I’ve edited the list some to incorporate more female authors from the third world.